Dougherty County Commissioners approve rezoning to allow daycare at New Seasons Church

The Dougherty County Board of Commissioners on Feb. 17 voted 7–0 to rezone a 7.59-acre parcel at 2402 Roxanna Drive so New Seasons Church can operate a child daycare serving 19 or more children.

Angel Grama, deputy planning director, told the board the planning commission recommended approval because the parcel is designated a public institution in the comprehensive plan and the proposed C-5 (office/institutional/residential) zoning would allow the expanded childcare use while maintaining the church’s operations. Planning staff presented site photos, a zoning map and trip‑generation estimates, saying the daycare would generate relatively low daily trips compared with nearby counts and that there were no recent accident reports for the adjacent streets.

Commissioners asked whether the daycare was already operating; staff and the applicant said it would be a new business on the site. Commissioners also raised a notice/signage concern after some residents said they had not seen the zoning sign; planning staff said engineering places signs at the property address but agreed to evaluate corner placement to improve visibility.

The motion to approve the rezoning was made, seconded and adopted by unanimous consent. The board’s vote completes the county action required to change the parcel’s zoning; any building or licensing steps for the daycare remain subject to separate permitting processes.

The matter was first presented during the Feb. 17 public hearing and adopted later in the meeting. The county did not specify an implementation timeline in the hearing.